Wednesday, April 29, 2015

A few months ago I got my first kids’ art activity
question. It was all very exciting! A reader asked if I knew of a good way for
her to paint her child’s broke boards (from karate) with chalkboard paint. Like
the reader, I too have crazy amounts of broken boards at home (both my son and
I are second degree black belts). While the boards have kind of made their home
in my storage ottoman (with the excess spilling over into the garage, basement
and anywhere else I can stash them), I have finally gotten around to trying out
the chalkboard paint on them. So, if you have a karate kid of your own, reuse
those broken boards with this super-simple craft!

Last year we used this type of paint to make Eastereggs (obviously, you can’t eat those). This time I went with Martha Stewart
Multi-Surface Chalkboard paint in black. It’s an acrylic craft paint, and it seemed
fitting for this project. Honestly, in all of my years of art-making this is
the first time that I’ve used a Martha Stewart product. I have to say -- I
absolutely loved it. It went on evenly, completely covered the wood and washed
off surprisingly well. I’m all for messy kid’s art, so I don’t mind getting
paint all over the place. After finishing this project, I had just about as
much chalkboard paint on my hands as I did on the boards. With a little soap
and water it completely washed off. This is kind of amazing for a dark color of
paint.

When you’re done with your karate board paint project
you can simply use them as is. Keep them around to make chalk drawings, wipe
them clean and reuse them every day. They make excellent take and travel art
activities that you can bring to grandmas or take to the park on a playdate.
You can also hang them on the wall to write messages on or the family’s schedule.

Don’t forget where these mini chalkboards came from.
Along with drawing on them, use the chalk to write current karate goals. Maybe
your child wants to pass his next test with flying colors or maybe he is trying
to a master a new skill. Whatever his goals are, they may change. This makes a
chalkboard ideal for writing them down on. When he reaches a goal, erase the
chalk and write a new one!

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Cotton candy Oreos! Oh, I’ve been waiting for these
special edition cookies. When I heard they were at Target, I rushed out to get
a pack. Sadly, I couldn’t find them. Then I read a food blogger’s tale of
searching high and low only to find the sweet treats hidden on a display at the
end of the cookie aisle. And, there they were! Ok, so I may have torn open the
pack and eaten a few in the parking lot. After all, I’ve been kind of
fantasizing about them for a few weeks now.

So, what did I plan on doing with these cotton candy
cookies (other than the obvious – eating them)? I had big plans to make cookie
truffle balls. I admit it – I am completely addicted to sugar. The sweeter the
better. If you are like me, then these special edition snacks will make your
knees weak. On the other hand, if you’re just not in to sugar, you will reel in
disgust over the flavor – and yes, they do taste just like cotton candy.

I made a few different kinds of Oreo balls with these cookies.
The whole cotton candy thing reminded me of a circus or carnival. That made me
think of clowns. As you’ll see, I made a few regular truffles and then I tried
out cotton-coated clowns. While these might not exactly be everyday fare, they
are perfect for a kids’ circus-themed birthday party or as treats for the
school carnival bake sale!

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·Cotton Candy Special Edition Oreos – If you
don’t have a Target near you (and can’t find them in another store), you can
buy them online too.

·White chocolate

·Pink and/or blue sprinkles

·Cotton candy

·Candy eyes

·6 oz. softened cream cheese

Here’s What to Do:

1.Crush
the cookies in a food processor, until they are the consistency of sand.

2.Mix
the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese in a large bowl. Use your hands to get a
thorough mix.

3.Roll
the mix into balls. I like a golf ball size, but you can make them bigger or
smaller.

4.Put
the cookie balls on a wax paper-covered plate and pop them into the freezer for
an hour.

5.Take
the cookies out of the freezer.

6.Heat
up the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. I microwaved mine for 45 seconds,
but yours may take more or less time depending on the strength of your
microwave. Start slowly, and add on more time if it doesn’t melt. Be careful,
the chocolate (and the bowl) will be very hot.

7.Place
a cookie ball in the chocolate. Using a spoon, roll it around. When it’s completely
covered, spoon it out onto a piece of wax paper.

8.Toss
a few sprinkles on top.

9.Another
option: Press cotton candy all of the way around the chocolate, making a fuzzy
coating.

10.And yet another other: Press two candy
eyes onto the cookie ball. Add cotton candy on top to make a floppy clown wig!

Are you looking for more Oreo ball recipes? Follow my
Pinterest board for ideas!

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Cookie truffle balls are possibly my favorite thing to
make. I’m not the world’s best baker (to say the least), and these tasty treats
are so super-easy. Who doesn’t love a no-bake cookie? As a bonus, the kids can
help out and ‘bake’ their own desserts. Usually I use actual cookies to make
these. But, this time I went with cereal. I guess that makes these cereal
truffle balls.

I’ve used Cinnamon Toast Crunch as a garnish for
cookie ball treats before. This time I’m going with Cap’n Crunch. Why? Well, it
was on sale. And, my son really likes it (I usually get corn flakes for him, so
this was a treat).

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·1 box of Cap’n Crunch cereal

·6 oz. softened cream cheese

·Chocolate bars – We used both white and
regular milk chocolate.

Here’s What to Do:

1.Crush
the Crunch in a food processor until it is a sand-like consistency.

2.Take
a cup of the sandy cereal out and put it aside for later.

3.Mix
the rest of the cereal with the cream cheese. Use your hands (or have your child
use his hands), to get a really consistent mixture.

4.Roll
the mix into balls (about the size of golf balls).

5.Place
the cereal balls onto a wax paper-covered plate. Pop them into the freezer for
an hour.

6.Melt
the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. If your child is working with you, don’t
let him do this step or touch the bowl/chocolate when it comes out the
microwave. It will be very hot so be careful. Never put your finger directly
into the chocolate to test it (I made that mistake, and it wasn’t pretty).
Microwaves differ in strength—start at 30 seconds (checking it through the
little viewing window) and go from there. Stir it around with a spoon when it
looks melted.

7.Cover
the balls in chocolate. Place the first ball into the melted chocolate and use
a spoon to coat it completely. You can also stick a toothpick in the ball, so
that you don’t touch the hot chocolate at all.

8.Remove
the truffle (with a spoon or toothpick) and place it on a piece of wax paper.

9.Sprinkle
some of Cap’n Crunch cereal powder (the leftover stuff from when you put it in
the food processor) over the chocolate.

That’s it! Let the cookie truffle balls cool and you’re
ready to go.

Are you looking for more delicious desserts? Follow my
Pinterest board for all kinds of ideas!

This art activity is super-simple and totally mess
free. And bonus – it’s a great way to boost your child’s fine motor skills. All
that bending, molding, modeling and forming really gives her hands a workout.
You can even toss a few pipe cleaners into a bag and take them to the park, to
grandma’s or on vacation to do this less-mess crafts.

1.Bend
the top of the first pipe cleaner around to make a circle. Twist it together at
the bottom of the shape to make a circle with a stem.

2.Twist
a second pipe cleaner around the first, where the circle and stem meet.

3.Create
a loop (this will be a flower petal), and fold the bottom around the circle.
Have your child continue doing this until she runs out of pipe cleaner.

4.Add
another pipe cleaner where the first one ended. Repeat the looping pattern.

5.Repeat
with another color, looping the new pipe cleaner slightly to the side of the
first ones.

6.Continue
on, adding as many petal layers as your child wants.

That’s it! Wasn’t that easy? If your child leaves
behind any loose ends, twist them up or snip them with scissors. Your child can
twist and model one flower or make a whole bouquet. Not only is this flower
craft a great way to celebrate spring, but your child can also create more to
give as gifts for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

Are you looking for more creative kids’ crafts? Follow
my Pinterest board for ideas!

Sunday, April 19, 2015

I may have had my share of spring crafts that look
like, are shaped like or in some way resemble flowers. That said, it didn’t
really stop me from using the magnolia blooms in my front yard as inspiration
this time. But, why make yet another flower when I can use the flower to make something
else? A butterfly perhaps?

There’s really no escaping these flowers. They are sort
of in my face (literally), the moment I walk out the door. Last year there was
a sudden drop in the temperature. It took the blooms out overnight. This year
the weather has been constant enough to keep them in the trees for a bit
longer. My son is dreading the final fall of the flowers – it’s his job to rake
up the blanket of petals.

Print-making is an easy art activity that kids as
young as 3 or 4 can try (take a look at our Andy Warhol inspired pop art prints). With some of the flowers beginning to fall, we gathered a few to make
these butterfly paint prints…

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·A flower—It doesn’t have to be the same
kind that I used. Anything with petals will do. You can even use a fake flower
if it’s not springtime where you are.

·Styrofoam—You can buy sheets of the stuff
at the craft store. I reused a tray that came with a frozen pizza. You can also
find similar sources to reuse from veggie containers. Don’t use the foam meat
trays (I include chicken, pork and fish as meat). These are covered in various
bacteria and germs in general.

·Tempera paint

·A pencil

·A paintbrush

·Paper

Here’s What to Do:

1.Place
a flower petal onto the styrofoam. Trace it with the pencil, pressing down into
the foam. Your child needs to experiment with how much pressure she uses. Too
little and the printing process won’t work. Too much and she’ll punch through.
Don’t worry if the pencil color shows through, it won’t be noticeable when she
paints it.

2.Move
the petal, and trace it four more times to make butterfly wings. If the lines
aren’t deep enough, your child can retrace them now.

3.Paint
a layer of tempera over the design.

4.Press
the printing plate down onto a piece of paper. Rub the back and pat it down
gently.

5.Pull
the foam plate from the paper to reveal the print.

6.Use
the flower (or the stem) to paint on a face and a design.

7.Wipe
the paint clean and start over to make a new butterfly flower print. Your child can add a few colors to make a
rainbow print. She can also use a stem the remove some of the paint, creating a
design where the paper shows through.

Are you looking for more spring crafts for kids? Follow
my Pinterest board for ideas!

Friday, April 17, 2015

Earth Day art activities anyone? Did you know that in
2012 Americans created 251 million tons of trash (according to the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency)? Yikes! Of that, we recycled only about 34%, or 87 million
tons, of the stuff we tossed. While there are some things that you just can’t
reuse, I bet you’ll find plenty around the house that you can magically
transform into artsy items.

I’m big on reusing everyday items as art materials. I’ll
admit, much of it has to do with me being somewhat cheap. But, my husband is
super into recycling. So, when the green can in our garage overflows with
plastic and paper, I tend to find other ways of using those items.

With Earth Day coming up, here’s a list of some of my
favorite everyday items that the kids can turn into art (I’m including a few
activities below, but you can also let the kiddos get creative and make their
own ‘junk’ sculptures with the addition of some school glue and tape):

·Popsicle sticks: Why go out and buy brand
new craft sticks when you can save onto these wooden beauties all summer long?

·Egg cartons: Depending on where you get
your eggs, there are two types of cartons – the cardboard and the styrofoam
kinds. Your child can use both for art activities (she can also use them to
store glitter, sequins or beads, or to sort crayons pieces. The top of the foam
type works well for printing projects.

·Yogurt containers: Not only can your child
use these to make art, but she can also use them as water tubs for water
coloring painting.

·Cardboard boxes: So many possibilities.
Make a pretend play car, boat or airplane. Or, cut the box up and use the
cardboard pieces for painting and drawing on. or make a train table mat!

·Soda bottles: Cut them or leave them as is
to make sculptures with.

·Glass jars: Cover them with glue, add a
layer of tissue paper pieces (collage-style), go for a second coating of glue
and get a handmade vase. I also like to use the little ones (baby food –size)
to hold paint or my favorite DIY glitter glue!

·Wash cloths and other assorted fabric:
Fabric scrapes make fantastic sensory collage materials. Cut and glue them onto
cardboard to make textures galore.

·Old worksheets: Your child’s teacher sends
home more worksheets and random fliers from school. Instead of tossing them in
the trash, turn them over and draw on the backs.

·Holiday cards and gift wrap: Your child
can use these to make collages.

·CDs and DVDs: Transform these into wind
chimes!

That’s just a few of my favorites. There are so many
more ways to reuse and recycle your would-be trash into art materials.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Spring flower crafts for the kids? Yep. It’s that time
of year again. I stepped outside this morning, and suddenly my magnolia tree
was in full bloom. It’s one of my favorite times of the year – unfortunately my
son’s reaction is not quite the same. At 13, he knows the magnolia blooming
means there is soon to be a yard filled with flower petals. Why doesn’t he love
the snow-like bloom covering? Because he’s in charge of raking it all up. That
said, sometimes a faux flower is more fun for a child than a real one.

I’m not saying that you should nix the science and
nature lessons. Spring is ideal for exploring the growth cycle and plants.
Before beginning this activity, take a trip outside for a nature walk. Look at
the flowers, asking your child a few questions such as: What colors do you see?
What shapes are the flower petals? Where do you think the flower came from?

Now you’re ready to make some flower-powered art…

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·Tissue paper

·Tempera paint

·Paintbrushes

·Cotton balls

·Scissors

·Clothespins – The flat kind that don’t
have clips.

Here’s What to Do:

1.Paint
the clothespins green. These will become the flower’s stems.

2.Add
some texture! Dip a cotton ball in white or yellow paint. Dot the paint onto
the clothespin, leaving behind a patterned design. Your child can also finger paint.

3.Stack
several different colors of tissue paper.

4.Cut
the tissue into a circle, oval or amoeba-like shape to make the petals.

5.Fold
the paper stack in half.

6.Cut
a small slit (the size of the top of the clothespin) in the center of the
tissue paper, across the fold.

7.Open
the paper up (there should be a slit in the center).

8.Press
the paper through the top of the clothespin (make sure that the paint is dry
first).

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